And the mediator that made it all possible is, of course, bidorbuy.co.za.

We are conditioned to love happy endings. Here is one real-life story with a happy ending that evolved after the third-last VW Citi was auctioned off on bidorbuy in November 2009.

Just to remind you, there were 1,000 numbered, special edition Citi Mk1 vehicles made earlier in the year to commemorate the retiring of the  legendary Citi. Numbers 001 and 002 are destined for museums in Germany and in South Africa, while the number 003, the third last special edition VW , and the very last offered to the public, was auctioned on bidorbuy with the starting bid of R1.

Surpassing all expectations, the number 003 went on to achieve the price of R300,100, nearly three times the listed retail price of the limited edition Volkswagen Citi Mk1. The highest bidder was Dolf Jonker, the owner of the Auto Trust Body Repairers in Port Elizabeth. During the handover ceremony, Dolf Jonker said: “My main motives for the highest bid were to own a piece of history associated with the Volkswagen Citi as well as to support the local charity organisation, Ubuntu Education Fund. I am delighted with the outcome.

At the same event, a cheque from the proceeds of the bid – all R300,100 of it – was presented to Ubuntu Education Fund, a community based organisation in Zwide, Port Elizabeth.

Thanks to the wonderful people from Volkswagen SA who organised all this, we are able to show you the photo from the handover ceremony. From left to right are: Mildred Dindala, the Auto Trust Public Relations Officer; Weza Moss, Corporate and Government Affairs Manager of the Volkswagen of South Africa Community Trust; Gcobani Zonke, Vice President of the Ubuntu Education Fund, and the man himself – Dolf Jonker, the auction winner.